


The Emperor's Hound

by greengrapegaze



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Affection, Affectionate Insults, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Anxiety, Armitage Hux Being An Asshole, Armitage Hux is a Jerk, Bittersweet Ending, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Degradation, Denial of Feelings, Depression, Dom/sub Undertones, Dominance, Dominant Armitage Hux, Dysfunctional Relationships, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Emperor Hux, Enforcer Kylo Ren, Feelings Realization, First Order Business, Hound Kylo, Humiliation, Hux Has No Chill, Hux is Not Nice, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Murder, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kylo Amidala, Kylo Ren Angst, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylo Ren is a Mess, M/M, Manipulation, Master/Pet, Master/Slave, May potentially have more chapters that will encompass the above tags I have listed, Minor Character Death, Murder, No Use of Force, POV Hux, Past Abuse, Physical Abuse, Please see the notes at the end of the chapter for potential triggers, Possessive Behavior, References to Depression, Self-Harm, Semi Slow Burn, Slow Burn, Social Networking, Submissive Kylo Ren, The First Order Won, The Resistance Lost, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Verbal Abuse, Verbal Humiliation, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-06 15:46:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15198059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greengrapegaze/pseuds/greengrapegaze
Summary: Whatever he desired, whatever he ordered of the knight, it was Kylo's job to see it completed.That is, after all, the role of ahound.





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn't as if it weren’t obvious. Ren had always been transparent about both his weaknesses and his sentiment. A fact Hux had manipulated on several occasions since meeting the knight so many years ago. Ren was _desperate_ for any form of attention he could acquire-whether negative or positive. Something he knew was born from a lack of affection and validation while growing up. The man’s hunger for praise was so _glaringly_ obvious that Hux simply couldn’t help himself from exploiting it. It would have been laughable if it weren’t so pathetic.

Hux started off by nurturing the knight’s need for approval first, gaining the man’s trust bit by bit with recognition. He commended Ren for his missions, his training, and his good moods. He’d begun to eat right from the palm of his hand after only a few months. From there Hux furthered his tactic by dropping subtle hints of displeasure with Snoke’s treatment of the knight and his apparent lack of care for the First Order. Once the man shifted his sole focus to him, he began talking about how great they would be _together_. The Force user, already so terribly desperate to belong-to be **loved** -fell right for it.

In the end, Kylo Ren, _Master to the Knights of Ren _, had become nothing more than the emperor’s personal _hound_. __

____

____

Unfortunately, all good things must come to a close.

In all matters of truth, Hux should have anticipated this. With Ren’s apparent thirst for affection and having it fulfilled, feelings of adoration were only to be expected. It had been the very reason Hux was able to seduce Ren to begin with. For all the Force user’s attempts at being the opposite, Kylo was far too emotional and much too _loving_ to be the ruthless being he desired. There simply wasn't enough brutality in the knight, and certainly not enough cruelty. There was still some festering hope within those dark wide eyes and now it was Hux's job to crush it.

Perhaps he had been too lenient in the beginning with the knight. He'd clearly been all too willing to let several things slide in favor of keeping the brunet's sole focus until Snoke was gone. As soon as the vile creature was disposed of with Ren's saber, the redhead had instantly changed tactics. Because of his actions, he had underestimated Ren. He'd simply assumed that the man would give up on his childish crush when Hux stopped paying so much attention to him. Instead the man displayed patience and adorant eagerness the moment they crossed paths. After some time, Ren's silent watching wasn't enough. He started out with inquiries on his health and sleep before going so far as to even asking questions about whether his meal was pleasant or if his paperwork was becoming tiresome. They were nothing more than small innocuous concerns that Hux saw no harm indulging. All until the knight began to acquire _actual_ gifts for him. They were tiny thoughtful things and never anything too pricey or extravagant. An exotic tin of tea, handmade candies from whatever planet Ren had completed his missions on, or his favorite delectable liquors from the markets within Coruscant. Regardless of the fact that Hux hardly ever spared Ren more than one glance, the knight seemed to always have something waiting for him in his chambers when he retired for the evening.

That all ended when his hound decided to deliver a gift _personally_. 

Hux knew Ren was waiting for him the moment he entered his quarters. How he knew was beyond him; nothing had been touched nor did anything appear to be out of place. If asked, the man could only say that he could simply _feel_ that Ren was there. As though the knight’s very presence had been ingrained into his senses. It irked him to know that he was so wholly attuned to this other man, so _utterly_ drawn in, that he could even sense Ren’s amiable mood. One look at the brunet's face was all the confirmation he needed to prove it. He paused several feet into the room and glanced over at the knight with an expression that spelled out his displeasure. Whether Ren noticed or not, the man gave no indication of it. In fact, the knight looked nothing short of a puppy finally reuniting with its master. He hated the eager happiness he could see in the man's face, hated how **disgustingly** proud he was to have thought up this whole plan to surprise his master, and he hated how Kylo thought he could get away with it. Already filled to the brim with both rage and feelings of caustic indignation, Ren's wide hopeful eyes drove him further into irritability. 

Why he continued to cling to the persona Hux had paraded before him was completely bewildering. It wasn’t as if he had openly indulged the affection when he'd urged Ren to turn against his mentor. Nor had he whispered any absolute promises of romance and exclusivity once the man had cleared his path to the throne. Of course, he hadn’t blatantly rejected the knights delusions of it either. Hux had truly believed that the strong romantic affections would fade away upon realizing that the emperor had no interest nor desire to act upon them. A mistake he was realizing now as Ren's lips twitched and tugged into a nervous smile. One that would have melted anyone's heart, even his own, if it hadn't been carved out of him as a child. It just made Hux burn with anger instead. 

“There was an Arkanisian merchant at the planet you sent me to scope... I thought we might be able to have some of your home world's tea together,” the knight started carefully. As if he'd picked the words out one by one before opting to present them. It occurred to Hux then that he likely had thought through this entire predicament before acting on it. Ren wasn't as much of an idiot as he presented himself to be-beneath the guise of a wounded angry man was a calculated mind. One would only need to watch the knight amidst battle to truly see it. Of course, the acknowledgment of his hound’s antics did not make the situation any better. Nor did Ren’s perception of his silence as an agreement to share the next few hours together.

The brunet's smile seemed to widen just the slightest bit as he turned away from Hux to pick up a small box he'd abandoned temporarily. There was no doubt in the emperor's mind that the box contained more than just the tea Ren had mentioned previously. Not that it particularly mattered. His hound’s apparent ease in moving about the room- _his room_ -struck the last chord within Hux. It snapped, splintering within the redhead until every bit of him came away jagged and fervid. Hux took one step closer to Ren, the sounds of the knight's puttering dissipating beneath the roar of blood in his ears. Ren's prattling about the planet and merchant fell into the empty space between, something that seemed to take far too long for the brunet to notice. And all while a bitterness welled up within Hux to the point of overwhelming him. 

“Hux?” Came the first hint of concern. He didn't answer. “Is something wrong? Are you-are you alright?” Confusion and creeping panic came next; the emperor did nothing to assuage either. He could practically _feel_ Ren’s anxiety at this point but it didn't matter. Not when he was already so full of his own emotions and aggression. The man before him had no right to assume such familiarity with him. No right to believe that he stood on equal ground with his emperor while he was nothing more than a lowly hound-a title deserving less than even a servant. 

This _**mess**_ of a human being was nothing to him and he had _every_ intention of proving it.

Striking out fast and true, Hux backhanded the brunet with a force so powerful that it sent the man reeling to the side. Ren didn't even have a chance to pick himself back up as the fabric of his cape pulled and twisted beneath his hulking frame, effectively trapping the man in the dark expanse of fabric on the floor. He took immense delight in seeing the hound on his knees, the look of shock and confusion so wholly evident on Ren's face that it was almost comical. How the man hadn't anticipated this was unfathomable to the redhead. For all Snoke’s crowing about his near invincible apprentice being strong in the Force, the man truly was weak. He looked like a true dog now, those dark brown eyes filled to the brim with growing turmoil.

Hux could see the conflict tearing Ren apart, he could see the desire to fight back warring with the need to submit within those wide vulnerable eyes. Would the man show his loyalty and accept the beating as though he deserved it or would he finally break free of his master's chain?

The answer came just seconds after, the hound lowering his gaze and shoulders in absolute submission, giving himself over to his emperor’s whims. He wasted no time in acting on them; Hux snatched Kylo’s jaw within his grasp and sneered. Ren had made a mistake in falling in love with him and he would show the man why. Digging his fingers into the skin with biting pressure, Hux left crescent imprints in the flesh that would no doubt bloom into bruises once he was done teaching the man his lesson.

"Did you _truly_ think that anyone could love you as you are? That _**I**_ could?” Hux snarled at the man, his voice taking on a beastly undertone. He leaned into the knight's face, crowding Kylo and forcing the man to stretch his neck in order to meet his eyes. “Did you _actually_ think that anyone could accept such a hideous and barbaric creature? You… _You are nothing more than a tool to me_.” He continued, his face warping into something far more monstrously wicked as each word spilled from his lips. A hand- _Ren’s hand_ -latched onto his wrist in an attempt to lessen the pressure but it only incited his fury further. The hold was nothing more than a weak grasp, one born out of cowardice and the desperate need to flee. As always, Ren was choosing to run away instead of facing his failures. Hux tightened his hold in retaliation, proving that there was nowhere for the man tor run.

“You are just pathetic _filthy_ **_dog_** I've brought to heel!” The emperor seethed as he ripped his wrist out of the brunet's hold only to push further on his attack. He sunk his fingers into the messy loose mane of Ren's hair with one hand, his digits tangling in the curls to pull the man's head back. While his other hand settled over the high rise of the knight's cheek, his thumb hovered over the pink scar that was still sensitive and sore from his failure. With Kylo so perfectly in position for him, Hux dug the forefront of his thumb into the jagged smooth scarring, and delivered his final blow with a biting hiss.

“ _The only place you belong is beneath my boot, Ren!_ ”

He knew his words had cut cruelly into the knight's insecurities, every consonant leaving gouges in its wake, but he didn't care. He wanted Ren to **suffer**. He wanted the thick-headed oaf to finally understand his place. Kylo Ren was _nothing_ but a lap dog undeserving of even scraps. He would receive nothing from Hux and the sooner he realized it, the better it would be for the both of them. A fact he made clear after he shoved the man's face away from him, his attention moving to righting his gloves as if they held more importance than the man on his knees before him, _and they did_. Kylo’s body curved inward in the meantime, his knees coming up to rest against his chest as though he were hoping to cocoon himself in. Anyone looking on would think it nothing but a quick effort to shield any vital or important organs away from Hux’s displeasure. However, they both knew the truth; it was the man’s piteous attempt to disappear.

“Get out of my sight,” Hux remarked calmly. 

“I'm done with you today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has the potential triggers:  
> \- Physical Abuse (Hux physically slaps Kylo)  
> \- Verbal Abuse (Hux degrades Kylo)
> 
> If I am missing anything in the tags or in this list, please notify me right away!
> 
> I have other chapters somewhat written up for where I want to take this, however, I don't have much patience or confidence so I probably won't add any of them. If it becomes popular at all, I might reevaluate. 
> 
> Nonetheless, thank you for reading this!
> 
> EDIT: Someone commented and it made me feel inspired enough to finish another chapter. I should have Chapter 2 done by next week.


	2. Chapter 2

Ever since their last encounter within his quarters, Hux had heard nothing about his knight. Nothing out of the ordinary at least; Ren still completed his missions, although he no longer left Hux gifts, and there were no outbursts or massacred rooms. In fact, meeting with the knight was actually rather pleasant. Ren no longer called him ‘ _Hux_ ’ but by his title and his wide eyes had lost that vulnerability he had always despised. Instead, they had been replaced with an emptiness completely devoid of affection. Had he known how _easy_ it would have been to shape Ren into the perfect hound, Hux would have done it years ago. Truthfully, it was all too simple, and he was more than pleased with himself for achieving it. The flood of pride Hux had over taming the incorrigible Force user was overwhelming in the most pleasant way. So much so that he'd carried a smugness with him for the next following weeks, even with an upcoming gala looming over his head-a gala that had been a decision long overdue in the making. 

His advisors had suggested holding the event many times before but Hux had quickly dismissed their ideas as unnecessary and excessive. Not only that, but he was far too busy running an empire. Why would he possibly spare time planning some ridiculous event? There were too many security risks and too many expenses to take into account to ensure absolute success. However, he knew the importance of boosting the morale of his people as well as garnering support for his reign and the First Order. He simply _loathed_ participating in vapid conversations and forced etiquette. Nevertheless, with Ren quiet and subdued, Hux decided that now was the perfect time to get it over with. The gala would no longer be seen as some ridiculous advertisement for the First Order but as a celebration for finally taming his insufferable hound. 

Unfortunately, it was devastatingly tedious and, for whatever idiotic reason, the arrangements were dragging on sluggishly. Even still, Hux's mood remained untainted, a fact he knew his advisors were manipulating for their advantage. They'd already rushed to drive the expenses of the gala up and the emperor knew they had other tricks hidden in their sleeves that they were waiting to use. He allowed it just this once as there was something to look forward to now. Typically he reserved the job of enforcer and guard to Phasma but with Ren’s behavior more than satisfactory, Hux held no hesitations in ordering the man to act as his guard and spy for the event. The knight’s new found focus would aid him in weeding out traitors as well as protecting him from any assassination attempts. Perhaps Ren would also indulge him in manipulating some of the gala patrons-whether by physical means of intimidation _or_ by the use of the Force. Regardless, everything seemed to finally be coming together and Hux couldn’t be happier about it.

At least until it all came crashing down around him.

During a meeting with several of his advisors and a few First Order officials, an unnamed medic rushed into the room without warning. Her appearance brought forward a mild case of tension and displeasure, one that clearly showed on the emperor’s face as he leaned back to settle his hands over his lap. If there was one thing that his men knew, it was that Hux hated having his work interrupted without a valid reason. Any cause for the breach had to be absolutely necessary or it would end in demotion. This was something every single person in the room knew and that alone was enough to set them all right on edge. Instead of lashing out in his irritation, Hux schooled his features and gestured for the woman to speak. 

A mistake he would not forget soon; once the woman was given permission, she seemed to rush her explanation with panic and hysteria, stumbling over her explanation in a frenzy. “We could-we could hear him! None of us knew what to do at first and then…. Then when we realized what he was doing, what he’d started doing to _himself_ , several of your officers walked in to stop it!” She spoke, her voice was a breathless slur and her hands a flurry of movement that spoke of the situation’s urgency. Hux could hardly understand the words coming out of her mouth, much less enough to even string together a sentence to figure it all out. A faint sliver of panic was beginning to build within the back of the man’s mind and it slowly eclipsed every emotion starting to process. Scenarios of an ambush or seige were rushing to occupy his thoughts until Hux realized that this was far more serious than he had assumed. Than they had _all_ assumed. One by one, the men in the room with him began to clue into this fact, the tension building between all of them until Hux had decided that he couldn’t possibly tolerate any more. 

“ _Enough!_ ” He ordered, raising a hand to stop the woman from continuing farther. “None of us can understand you through your screeching. I suggest that you _speak **slower**_ and articulate your words.” He finalized, giving into her frantic demand for his undivided attention. She nodded once, beginning to cower beneath his steely gaze. “You don’t understand.... There was blood, sir. _So much **blood**_.” She breathed in a shrill whisper. “We couldn’t get anywhere near him, sir. _Lord **Ren**_ wouldn’t-” 

Hux stood immediately, cutting the woman's diatribe in half before she could fall further into hysterics. The emperor fully understood what was going on now and he was more than upset. Of course, it had all been there in her words; _him, men, blood, **Ren**_. It was abundantly clear just how wrong he had been about the knight’s silence. In all honesty, Hux had feared the absolute worst when she had come in. He had assumed that there had been a secret attack, an assassination attempt, or even an army marching towards his palace. To know that it was nothing more than a wild _grasp_ at attention from Ren made the reality of his anger even worse. 

Why the Force user couldn't just _submit_ was beyond his comprehension. He'd known his knight had been all too silent for the last few weeks but he'd foolishly hoped that it would stay that way. He had assumed that he had _finally_ broken the brunet down into the original attack dog Snoke had been trying to mold the man into. Now he would have to punish the knight again for disobeying and he wasn't looking forward to it in the least. He didn't have _time_ to be correcting the man as though he were some wayward puppy. There was simply no toleration for misbehaving and Ren knew this. Ren had _agreed_ to all of this when they had decided to kill Snoke. Clearly, the insufferable child needed to be reminded of his station. 

Excusing himself from the meeting with a curt order to have the medic show him the way to where Kylo was hosting his tantrum, Hux gave clear instruction to his men to wait. It wouldn't take long to sort Ren out at all. A few choice words, a punishment or two, and then they could all carry on as if nothing had happened. The medic seemed positively relieved by his acceptance of her intrusion, going so far as practically tripping over herself in a hurry to put an end to Ren's destruction and, no doubt, subsequent loss of colleagues. Hux walked briskly alongside her, his expression tight with disapproval and utter resentment for the fact that he even had to be dealing with Kylo now. Neither of them said anything during the long walk and it was precisely what Hux preferred. He was too busy looking for other medics rushing to the scene and for men to be running _away_ from it to engage in any conversation. However, the emperor saw no one, a fact that was most peculiar. It was even more odd that they were passing all of the knight’s usual tantrum prone areas. The complexity of the situation struck him even more so when the woman brought him to the Force user’s personal quarters where a line of people were standing with expressions of pure horror and pity on their faces. None of them seemed terrified for their lives and Hux couldn’t quite figure out _why_. 

Despite all of his confusion, Hux entered the room to correct the man’s behavior only to find himself entirely surprised. The wreckage he saw before him was both terrifyingly beautiful, and astoundingly frustrating. With a quick glance, one might immediately assume that a storm or a natural disaster had taken place, but Hux could see so much more than that. In the midst of the chaos, he realized that this amassed beyond the knights typical fit of passion. Every piece of turned furniture and scorched fabric was a pattern and clue Kylo left behind to express his inner turmoil. There were deep gouges in the floor from what Hux assumed was Ren's saber, the blackened textiles glistening with blood and still burning embers. He saw no bodies immediately but that didn't matter; he knew they were there. He knew what Ren thought of his men, knew that Kylo considered them useless, but Hux had already gone over the topic multiples time with the man. After joining forces with the knight, Hux had made it abundantly clear that his men were wholly off limits and that the knight would face severe consequences should he disobey. He'd assumed that that would be it but clearly he had been wrong. 

Stepping forward, Hux lifted his nose with an indignant sniff and stalked further into the mess to get closer to the man that created it. He wasn't the least bit pleased and it seemed the knight was well aware of it; every attempt to catch the brunet's gaze failed as the man ducked his head to avoid direct eye contact. As if hiding his face would possibly stop what had already started. _Imbecile_ , Hux thought with obvious annoyance. It infuriated Hux to see just how openly disobedient the man was being-had been since he'd chosen to unclip his lightsaber and use it on his men and his palace. He had trained the brunet better than this and he would not allow Ren to forget that. Whatever he desired, whatever he ordered of the knight, it was Kylo's job to see it completed. Kylo _knew_ how upset he would be if he continued throwing tantrums like this. He _**knew**_ and still went through with them like some recalcitrant child. 

“Look at me,” Hux spoke with a voice just barely calm. It wavered with a conflation of anger and bitterness that seemed to be sealed just beneath the surface of his composure. It broke the moment Ren defied him further by shrinking into himself more. The knight dropped his gaze to the floor, his shoulders hunching and his body curling slightly in with guilt that made it obvious to Hux that Ren knew just what was going to happen. Good. This would make it easier for both of them now that he didn't have to explain _why_ he was being punished. 

“ _Look_ at me you _**pathetic**_ creature,” Hux hissed now. Kylo flinched away at the order but the emperor wasn't having any of it. He chased the movement with both his eyes and hands now with the sole purpose of ensuring that the knight had nowhere to escape. He fisted the unruly mass of the brunet's curls and tugged his head back, his grip merciless as he manhandled his hound. “I told you to _look_ at me.” The redhead bit out, tightening his grasp to keep direct eyesight with the knight who was trying his hardest not meet Hux's sneer. It was pitiful that a Force user so strong in his abilities was becoming so utterly cowed by a man his entire opposite. In brute force and strength, Kylo surpassed him but the man was simply too _afraid_ of losing any form of guidance and discipline to ever use it. It was wretched but Hux took immense pleasure in the imbalance.

“What do you think you're doing making a mess of this room?” Came the first rhetorical question as Hux simmered in the power he held in his literal grasp. “Did you think I would allow you to get away with killing my men without any punishment, Ren?” Came the next, Hux's grip becoming even more uncaringly callous. The sharp inhale of pain that escaped the brunet in response only served to embolden his actions further. Taking one step closer to the knight, Hux moved his other hand up to hold the man’'s throat and positively leered with disdain. When all his questions were met with silence, Hux began to _squeeze_ in an attempt to press the Force user for an answer. His efforts were more than successful as Ren rushed to speak, his voice cracking and croaking with panic. 

“ _Please_ , I didn't kill anyone-” The man started, tone eerily close to a sob that Hux refused to let him finish with. He was already far too incensed to allow any attempt for a civil discussion. Kylo didn't _deserve_ that anyhow, nor would he ever. It was this knowledge that kept the redhead continuing, taunting the man with sweetly cloying sarcasm. “ _No?_ ” He hummed, his mossy gaze brightening with mirth at seeing the brunet so completely lost. Ren mistook his contempt for doubt and hope suddenly flooded the man’s face to relax the tension in his bulky frame. Did the man truly think he was going to believe him? He was so **pathetic** like this-hanging onto this hope as if it could possibly save him from the predicament he’d gotten himself into. Hux couldn’t stop himself from supporting it, building the relief with more fallacies until Ren wholly assumed it would all be fine.

“You didn’t kill anyone, Ren?” He expanded in that same mocking tone, feeling the way the man’s body relaxed beneath his grasp. “No one at all?” He continued with a forced curious inflection to his voice. The knight merely nodded in affirmation, clinging to his emperor’s every word as though his salvation was hidden inside them. Ren truly believed in the saccharine tone Hux was presenting and the emperor absolutely _loathed_ it He wanted nothing more than to kill the knight for how utterly foolish he was being. He could do it so easily as well; all he needed was to take the brunet's saber, plunge it deep into his chest, and then he’d be rid of the hound. The most abhorrent part of it all would be the fact Ren would just let him do it. Kylo trusted him so much that he absolutely believed that Hux wouldn’t _hurt_ him. Hux would protect him, guide him, give him the _praise _he deserved because he _ **cared**_. It made the emperor sick that someone could be so piteous. Nonetheless, he wasn’t going to put the man out of his misery just yet. The simple fact that Ren was still useful, albeit a complete and utter nuisance, kept him from acting on the desire the purge the man from his life. Perhaps he could see it through another time-one where Kylo had finally used up the last dredges of his patience and composure. __

___“You’re an idiot if you think I believe that this blood magically appeared out of nowhere. Tell me, _whose_ blood did you spill Ren?” Hux spit fiercely, bringing them both back to the present with the inquiry. It was certainly worth it just from the look on the brunet’s face when he realized that Hux truly didn’t believe him. All at once, the hope flickered out within his gaze to leave it utterly devoid of light. It was almost beautiful. In spite of that, Hux pressed on with a vengeance. _ _ _

___“How many of my men did you murder?” The redhead continued, not anticipating an answer nor caring for one either. Kylo clearly wasn’t going to be honest with him and he simply didn’t have the patience to keep the farce up. He had a meeting to return to and more important matters to discuss than Ren’s feeble attempts to lie to him. He'd find out soon enough when Phasma came forward with the reports documenting Ren's latest casualties anyhow. Not that the amount truly mattered as much as the fact that it had happened to begin with. His hound knew better than to attack carelessly like this. Ren also knew that there was nothing he could say that might save him from Hux's wrath. His fate had been decided the moment he’d ignited the saber. Refirming his grip on the man’s throat, Hux began to apply pressure, his fingertips digging into the dark collar covering the slender column of Ren’s throat. There was no resistance to the touch and Hux positively preened at the fact that the man had given in. Would Kylo let him go all the way? Would he let him choke him further into submission or would he stop him when his vision started to wane? Would he-_ _ _

___“It's my blood,” the man rasped, tone flat with the lack of panic and grief it had carried earlier. “ _I didn't hurt anyone else_.” The desolate tone continued before ending with a final answer of, “it's mine.” It was almost curious how quickly those words had pierced through Hux's anger like a knife through supple flesh. How those two words kept ringing throughout his mind like an alarm until. How they whispered into the recesses of his mind until they were his entire focus. _ _ _

____It's mine_._ _ _

___He released the knight and stepped back the moment his fingers untangled from the silken strands. Almost as if being anywhere near the brunet might infect him with some dastardly disease. His gaze dropped to the ground to look for proof that Kylo had lied to him. Surely the man couldn't be serious? There was blood on nearly every surface, splattered on the ground as if a small massacre had transpired before his arrival. Except… _Hux still couldn't see any other bodies in the room but theirs_. There weren’t any mangled limbs or maimed uniforms anywhere in their vicinity that he could see. In fact, he saw nothing to say that Ren had lied to him at all. _ _ _

___Hux finally lifted his head to take in the rest of the man's hunched form, his eyes settling on the quaking hands clenched painfully tight into fists at his sides, blood dripping down the fingers to gather into a dark opaque puddle on the ground between them. Hux cursed aloud at the realization, frustrated and bitter for having taken so long to understand _why_ there were no other bodies in the room. Kylo hadn't hurt anyone else but himself and Hux had never felt so much contempt in his life. _ _ _

___The _fool_ had fallen back onto old disciplinary habits in order to cope with his faults and failures. They were corrections far too gruesome and outdated to be seen as beneficial and yet Ren had still given into them. It reminded him of Snoke-of how he would enter the open audience chamber and see Ren kneeling on the ground shaking with pain. If he closed his eyes, he could still hear the sharp crackling pants from the man's helmet, could see the tension in the man's muscles as he moved to stand after being released. He could see the trail of blood that always seemed follow directly behind the knight anytime he’d adjourned from meetings with his mentor. Not once had Hux wondered whether or not Ren deserved the torture. To him, the knight was nothing more than a volatile child in desperate need of discipline. Ren didn't deserve praise, he didn't deserve freedom or relief-he deserved to feel this. He deserved all of this. He didn’t deserve anything, even pity, from his emperor._ _ _

___Curling his lips at the blood still fresh and warm on the floor, Hux allowed his disgust to show on his pale features before he met the man’s somber gaze. Something lurched within the redhead at the sight, signaling to an immediate sense of _wrong_. Nothing had really changed about the man’s expression, Ren looked the same as before apart from what appeared to be an expansion of the emotional vacancy. His lips held a downward turn but his eyes held no awareness whatsoever-almost as if Ren wasn’t even aware that he were there. It was off-putting and Hux found the sight almost distressing. Before he could embark on why it was disturbing, Hux chose to focus his attention elsewhere. Namely on the man’s injuries themselves. _ _ _

___“Show them to me. Show me what you’ve done to yourself.” He ordered, voice taut with his disapproval. “Yes, Emperor,” came the empty response, Ren’s arms beginning to lift automatically like some slave following orders. In any other situation, Hux would have been pleased by the improvement but he could only feel a petulant bitterness now and it showed. "I’m planning a gala. I don't have time to deal with your issues or how you choose to discipline yourself, Ren.” The emperor ranted, tension making his motions jerky as he grasped the brunet’s wrists to tug them up for inspection. He opened his mouth to say something callous only to hesitate at the gruesome sight that greeted him. Ren had used his own lightsaber on his skin, subsequently cauterizing the wounds before scratching the tissue open with his nails. This wasn’t some meager attempt at discipline-_ _ _

____This was pure self torture._ _ _ _

___Hux found his touch gentling without his awareness, his fingers grazing gently along the edges of the wound with disbelief. The scratches were deep gouges against the wounds, cutting into the tender sensitive flesh just to reopen them so the pain could be felt over and over again. Both arms were mottled by these marks, both arms rendered limp and useless within his grasp. What could Ren have possibly been thinking? He raised his head to ask, the words right on the tip of his tongue, but that empty expression still evident on the knight’s features kept him from speaking a word. Hux stared at the man now, sick with realization and hesitation for what he could possibly do. He was helpless and _hated_ it. He hated that Ren had been the one to do this to him. _ _ _

___Upset and frustrated, he dropped the man’s arms and stepped back with an acerbic expression. “Clean this up-no one needs to see how deplorable you truly are." Hux bit out, the strength returning to his voice as he let his anger get the best of him once more. “When you’re done, go to the medical bay. I want your injuries taken care of _properly_. You’re of no use me like this.” The emperor seethed, turning away to continue on with the rest of the day. He had a gala to plan for, meetings he needed to see to, and Ren had ruined his schedule for them. Ren had thrown a tantrum like a _child_ and Hux didn’t have the patience to sort it all out. He didn’t have the care to either-Ren was _nothing_ to him. _**Nothing**_._ _ _

___“Clean this pathetic mess up.” He shouted as he stepped into the crowded hall, his expression fierce as he regarded the medics waiting nervously for orders. Their hesitation to enter the room he’d just left enraged him even more and Hux couldn’t stop himself from snapping at them. “Are you all idiots? Get in there you imbeciles!” He turned away from them then, walking towards the meeting he’d left behind in order to deal with Ren with the weight of the knight’s aphotic gaze still following him. It wasn't until Hux was alone in his quarters that he realized how devoid of life Ren's eyes had truly been._ _ _

___Hux didn’t see his hound until the night of the gala._ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential Triggers:  
> \- Implied Violence  
> \- Verbal Abuse  
> \- Physical Abuse  
> \- Blood  
> \- Self Harm  
> \- Implied Depression
> 
> If you are choosing to skip this chapter, this is the summary of it: Kylo harms himself with his Lightsaber, Hux manhandles him and he also verbally abuses him. Hux does end up feeling guilt towards the end of the chapter and does show some care for Kylo. 
> 
> If I have missed anything, please inform me! 
> 
> In the mean time, I have an idea for the third chapter but finishing it will all depend on the desire to see this fic completed and my own confidence.


End file.
